Electrode used in the electrolytic process of refining metals.



F. L. ANTISELL.

ELECTRODE USED {N THE ELECTROLYTIC PROGESS OF REFINING METALS.

, APPTCATIOH FILED FEB. 8. 29m.

Q 757? Pafiented Dec. 18, 1917? H M m WITNESMS dama ,4 OHIVEY I thicker than is scientifically proper.

FRANK LINDEN ANTISELL, OF PERTH AMBOY, NEW JERSEY.

ELECTRODE USED IN THE ELECTROLYTIC PROCESS OF REFINING METALS.

Application filed February 8, 1913.

To all whom-it may concern:

Be it known that I, Fnimn L. ANTIsnLn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Perth Amboy, county of Middlesex,

State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrodes Used in the Electrolytic"Processes of Refining Metals, of which the following is a specification.

' My invention relates to improvements in parallel to a thin sheet of copper or other metal-a cathodeand electricity from a proper source is conducted to and through the anode and from the anode through the electrolyte to the cathode, thereby dissol ing the anode and depositing the metal on the said thin sheet of metal forming the cathode. Heretofore the custom has been to cast the anode with a projection, horn or lug at each upper end or corner for the double purpose of suspending the anode and electrifying the same, or to suspend the anode from a rod with hooks or links for the same purpose.

In practice it has been found difficult to so satisfactorily cast a thin anode with lugs owing to the freezing of the metal and it v has therefore been customary to cast anodes It is desirable to place anodes and cathodes in the electrolytic tank as closely together as possible to reduce the current density, to save power and to improve the quality of the copper, but this cannot be accomplished with anodes cast with heavy lugs as heretofore. Furthermore, it is diflicult to hang the anode provided with such lugs plumb in the electrolyte. Such anodes are difiicult to satisfactorily pack for shipping and besides they are liable to break in handling for shipping and they are further objectionable be- ,cause it is impracticable to roll as said lugs are liable to break. Again, owing to the roughness of the cast lugs on the anode the electrical contact is poor. If the contact be made satisfactory byfiling or otherwise smoothing off the casting, the cost of such operation adds considerable expense to the process of refining. Owing to the fact that such an anode is energized, gu rally, from only one side there is a tendenw of the lugs to out ofl on account of the electro chemical Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 18, rear;

Serial No. 747,014.

action, thereby making it necessary to recast the anode before the end of its natural life,

and even after such an anode has been dissolved the lugs are left over as scrap which must be melted and recast, adding additional expense to the operation of refining.

In general, most of these objections also apply to anodes suspended by hooks or links from cathode rods, with the additional objection of one or two additional contacts which consume from 10 to 20 per cent. of the total power in refining, which, in a large establishment, is a most important factor.

All the objections hereinabove noted are overcome by my improved anode and suspending rod for the anode and cathode.

I have illustrated certain forms of the device in the accompanying drawings, but it is to be understood that various modifications and changes may be made which come well within the scope of my invention. I

Referring to the drawings, in which the same reference character indicates the same part in the several Views:

Figure l is a side ele ation of one form of the improved bar for supporting an electrode, the anode for example.

Fig. 2 is a bottom edge view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a top edge View of one form of the improved electrode, the anode in this case, adapted for suspension by the bar as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the same.

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view of a tank showing my improved anode and supper ing bar in place in the tank and the corresponding cathode suspended from an improved suspending bar adapted for the cathode.

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the same.

Fig. 7 is a cross section on line 7 of Figs. 5 and 6, showing the relative location between the anode and cathode in the tank.

Fig. 8 is a side view of a-modified construction of the bar and the anode adapted Y with inclined projections 3 and 24 which a are preferably Vsha-ped in cross section. One end of this baron the under side thereof is provided with a recess 25. 30 is an anode plate, the edges 31 and 32 near the upper end being outwardly flaring or inclined in an opposite direction to the projections 23 and 24 of the bar 20. The iiaring parts of the edge of this anode plate are provided with the recesses 33 and 3,4 into which fit said projections 23 and 2 The upper edge of this plate is cut away at 35 to bring the lower edge below the surface line of the electrolyte in the tank in which the said cathode plate is suspended.

The distance between the projections 23 and 24 is such that when the under edge 26 of the suspending bar is against the top edges 36 of the cathode plate, and one of the projections 23, forexample, is in the recess 33, the bar 30 may be swung laterally in relation to the cathode with the projection 23 a a pivot, so that the other projection 24 will just clear the flaring portion 32 on the opposite edge of the cathode plate. Then I When the projection 24 comes opposite the lifted the projecin the recesses 33 recess 3s and the bar is tions 23 and 24 will seat and 34 and the anode plate will hang from and be suspended by the bar 20, as more clearly shown in Fig. 5 of the drawing. This arrangement forms a satisfactory support for the anode and also permits readily connecting and disconnecting the bar from the ahode. This connection has the following gidvantages among others.

Owing to the inclination of the upper portion of the sides jections formed on the suspension bar or rod the contact pressure is greatly increased by the law of resolution of forces over that which is the case where the reaction is directly downward as in the case of a. hook, but owing to the angle the contact resistance resolves itself into many times less than what it would ordinarily be (in direct proportion to the angles formed). It is preferable to make this angle of contact so that the line of pressure perpendicular to the inclination will be about three times as great as the vertical line of pressure. By doing this the pressure between the contact surfaces is increased about three timcs with a correspond ing decrease in the conducting resistance. This construction enables the same rod'or bar to be used over and over again and it is therefore advantageous, from an economical standpoint, to put the said suspension rod or bar in the best possible condition for making a good electrical contact between it and the anode. By this construction the rod may be madethin and therefore does not interfere with the cathode rod that supports the cathode, as was the case with anodes heretofore cast with integral lugs, and thus the anodes and cathodes may be placedv closer together in the tank.

Again, as the recesses 33 and 3a are All of the tank A and of the anode and of the pro-- assess? footing the method of suspension. it is also obvious that by the use of this lugless anode much less scrap is produced and the anode is much easier to handle and ship.

In Fig. 8 I have shown a modified construction. jections 21" and 22 are formed with the lower ends diverging and with the projections 23 and 2 s on the outside of the same. The cathode plate 30 is formed with the inclined portions 31 and 32 facing each other with the recesses 33 and 34* formed to receive the projections 23 and 24:.

When the cathode plate is suspended in the tank one end rests upon the upper edge the under side recessed portion 25 of the opposite end rests upon the conducting rod il placed longitudinally on the opposite edge 42 of this tank. Extending longitudinally of the top edgeit is also a conducting bar 43. 50 is a suspension bar on which the cathode, which consists of a thin sheet of metal 51 formed with loops 52, is suspended and through which the bar 50 passes. One end 53 of this bar rests upon the upper end at of the tank A. The oppo- In this form the lugs or prosite end 54 of the bar 50 is provided .with

a recess which rests upon the said conducting bar 43. The bars 41 and 48 are shown triangular in cross section, but it is evident that they may be made of any other suitable shape.

By taking advantage of the laws of the resolution of forces I am enabled to double, triple, quadruple, etc, the contact pressure between the anode or cathode suspending rod and the conductor 41 or a3 by means of various angles with quite an evident saving. For instance, if the under straight edge of the suspension rod were resting directly upon the contact bar 41 or 43, and assuming the loss in this form of contact to be 25 niillivolts or ten per cent. of the current flowi11g--quite a usual figure by notching the suspension rod or bar, as shown, where the triangular conducting rod 41 or 43 is an equilateral triangle, the downward thrust has the value say of 1, resolving itselfinto thrusts pci'pcndiclllar to the surface of the conducting bar of the value of 2, and byactual experience it has been found that within the range of current densities and pressures generally prevalent in copper rciincries the reduction in resistance of the contact i about proporlioiial to the pressure of contact. Therefore, taking into consideration thelaw of divided electrical circuits further reducing the resistance, it is found that by the improved form of contact the mentioned it might appear ance is placed in" the circuit between the contact loss is reducfedfrom ten p rcent. to

2?; per cent. or'less; 7

While it is true that by my improved construction of anode and supporting bar one more contact .is added in the electrical circuit and the anode than is the case where the anodes have beencast with integral lugs as heretofore, from my reasoning just above that more resistthe two points of suspension, it is again re This 15 duced to about 1; per cent. loss. more than compensated for by using-an anode suspension rod or bar of refined'copper, which, it is well known, has much greater conductlvity than impure anode copper, and thus the total resistance is less wlth the lugless anode than with the usual form of anode with the lugs cast integrally therewith.

Various changes may be made in the forms illustrated'without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, instead of providing a notch in the supporting bar'or member to rest upon the conducting rod, a

projection may be provided on said bar and the recess provided in the conducting rod. Again, instead ofprovidingthe bar with the projections and the anode plate with recesses, the projections maybe provided on the anode plate and recesses provided in the supportingbar to receive the latter projections.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A rod or bar for suspending an electrode in an electrolyte, said bar having inwardly facing projections converging at their lower ends, said projections having a ridge. v

2. A rod or bar for suspending an electrode in an electrolyte, having on the under side thereof inwardly facing V-shaped projections.

3. A rod or bar for suspending an electrode in an electrolyte, having inwardly facing V-shaped projections conver'ging at their lower ends.

4. A rod or bar for supporting an electrode in an electrolyte,*-said bar having on the under side thereof at one end a notch or recess, and also having inclinedprojections. 5. A ,rod or barfor suspending an electrode in an electrolyte, said bar having a the anode is. in- This will reduce notch or recess on the under side of one endthereof, andalso inwardly facing projections converging at their lower ends.

6. A rod or bar for suspending an electrode in an electrolyte, said bar having a notch or recess on the under side of one end thereof and also having inwardly faclng substantially V-shaped projections converging at their lower ends.

7. A rod or bar for suspending an electrode in an electrolyte, said bar having a notch or recess on the under side at one end i thereof and also having on the lower side inwardly facing substantially V-shaped proj ections, the lower ends of which converge.

8. An electrode having inclined portions each of said portions provided with a recess.

9. An electrode having inclined portions at each edge and provided with a recess at the inclination. v

10. An electrode having each upper edge outwardly inclined, said inclined portions being provided with recesses.

11. An electrode having the upper portion of each edge outwardly inclined, said inclined portions being provided with, re-

cesses.

1:2. An electrode having inclined portions, each of said inclined portions being provided with a substantially V,-shaped recess.

13. An electrode having the upper portion of each edge outwardly inclined, said inclined portions being provided with V- shaped recesses.

14. A rod or bar for suspendingv an elec trode in an electrolyte having inclined projections on its under side and an electrode provided with inclined recesses to receive said inclined projections, the bar and electrode having a clearance between them of no less than the heightof one of said projec-' tions. I

15. A supportfor an electrode, an 'electrode suspended from said'support, one of said members being provided with a recess and the other with a complementary projection to enter said recess.

16. A rod or bar for suspending an electrode'in an electrolyte, an electrode adapted to be suspended from said bar, each of the members being provided respectively with inclined recesses and inclined projections to fit one within the other.

17.- A rod or bar for suspending an electrode in an electrolyte, having on the under side thereof inclined projections and an electrode provided with inclined recesses adapted to receive said inclined projections.

18. A rod or bar for suspending an electrode in an electrolyte, having on the under side thereof inclined V-shaped projections and an electrode having inclined V- haped recesses to receive said projections.

19. A rod or bar for suspending an electrode in an electrolyte, said bar having on the under side thereof inwardly facing V- shaped projections converging at their lower ends and an electrode having the upper por tion of each edge flaring and provided with substantially V-shaped recesses adapted to receive said V-shaped projections.

20. A rod or bar for suspending an electrode in an electrolyte, said bar having a notch or recess on the under side at one end thereof and also having on the lower side inwardly facing projections, the lower ends of which converge, a conductor on which said recess in the bar is adapted to rest, and an electrode having each upper edge outwardly inclined, said inclined portions being provided with recesses to receive said projections.

21 A rod or bar for suspending an electrode in an electrolyte, a conducting rod or bar, said suspension rod having a notch or recess on the under slde at one end thereof adapted to receive said conductor, said susinwardly facing substantially V-shaped proections the lower ends of which converge,"

In witness whereof I havehereunto set my hand at the city, county and State of New York, this seventh day of February,

FRANK LINDEN ANTISELL.

In presence of- WM. A. MEGRATH, JOHN J. RANAGAN.

' pension bar also having on the lowerside l 

